Football Transfer Deadline Day does this to clubs every year: it tempts them with the promise of late business, then leaves them staring at the clock when the window snaps shut. Everton learned that lesson in the harshest possible way. Folarin Balogun’s move to Everton fell apart after the 11pm BST deadline in England, and the timing could hardly be more damaging for a side that has already sold Beto to Fiorentina and is now left painfully thin at centre-forward.
The window closed at 11pm BST, though clubs still had a couple of hours to complete deals that were already in motion. That detail matters, because Everton were clearly trying to keep something alive deep into the evening. But Balogun remained at Monaco at the time of the report, and Everton were left with only one senior striker, Thierno Barry, after sanctioning Beto’s departure. That is not planning. That is exposure.
A deadline-day scramble that did not pay off
There is a certain chaos to this stage of the summer transfer window, and Everton were right in the middle of it. Earlier in the day, the club had already allowed Beto to leave for Fiorentina, a move that made the Balogun chase even more significant. If you are going to trim your attacking options, the replacement had better arrive. Everton did not get that safety net.
That is what makes the failed Balogun deal sting. This was not a luxury signing or a vanity pursuit. It was a transfer with real squad-building logic attached to it. Instead, the club end the window short not only at striker but also at full-back, which turns a disappointing deadline into a broader warning sign. The squad looks lighter, not stronger, when the business should have brought clarity.
Others got it done late
Late business was still possible after England’s deadline, and some clubs took advantage. Sunderland completed the signing of Malick Fofana after beating Crystal Palace to the deal. Brighton also moved late, confirming Chema Andres and being expected to announce Femi Azeez the next morning. So this was not a night where nothing could be done. It was a night where some clubs found a way and others were left scrambling.
That is the brutal truth of deadline day. The market does not care whether a club feels it was close. It only cares whether the paperwork gets over the line. Everton’s attempt to land Balogun did not. Monaco still had their striker, Everton still had their problem, and the window still closed without the solution they needed.
In the end, this was a missed opportunity with consequences attached. Everton did not just fail to land a player; they failed to protect themselves against the exact kind of shortage that transfer windows are supposed to prevent. And once the clock hits 11pm BST, there are no excuses left, only the squad you actually built.
